From rule breaker to baker

Even the most experienced cooks can be intimidated by the
thought of baking. Off-the-cuff improvisation and editing -
essential in cooking - can be disastrous to baking endeavors. That
was something that kept food writer Kathy Gunst from doing a lot of
baking. She explained to The Washington Post that
"for someone who prides herself on being a bit of a rebel - in the
kitchen and out - baking has been a challenge. Being a really good
baker requires understanding what makes bread dough rise and why
some cakes are light and fluffy, and that is a matter of working
within the lines. Isn't it?"

Gunst began to have a change of heart after was asked to help
judge a cookbook competition - in the baking category. She
approached the task with a feeling that approached dread, but
dutifully began to bake from five different books that she felt
could help her become a better baker. At first the results weren't
encouraging. "I spent 10 days testing recipes: baking pies and
fancy pastry, icing cakes and generally feeling bad about myself,"
she recalls.

Even though she was discouraged, she decided to dig in her heels
and try again. It was then that she had an epiphany. She started
weighing her ingredients instead of using less precise measuring
methods. "Expert bakers could have predicted that: My eyeball-it
approach was a big part of the problem," she explains. "When I
actually measured the spices called for in a gingerbread cake, I
was amazed: My practice of filling the spice cap up to what I'd
assumed was 1/2 teaspoon was way off."

Once she realized the value of precision (which included using
the correct size of baking pans), her baking dramatically improved.
After this crash course, Gunst began to feel more confident,
eventually being able to successfully deviate from the
recipes. She sums up the lessons learned from her deep dive
into baking: "if you follow the rules and understand why they are
there, you can go ahead and start to break them, a little at a
time...I needn't fight my urge to experiment. I just needed to
learn how to do it right."

Photo of Molasses spice
cake from Better Homes and Gardens
Magazine by Jim Stott
and Jonathan King and Kathy Gunst